Curtain wall with panels of different thicknesses



Jan. 9, 1968 A. I. GEYSER 3,362,123

CURTAIN WALL WITH PANELS OF DIFFERENT THICKNESSES Filed Sept. 16, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 A JIM 1 1 6. .1 INVENTOR.

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A. l. GEYSER Jan. 9, 1968 CURTAIN WALL WITH PANELS OF DIFFERENT THICKNESSES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 16, 1965 INVENTOR. 448527 I 65755? ATTORNEYS.

Jan. 9, 1968 A. l. GEYSER 3,362,123

CURTAIN WALL WITH PANELS OF DIFFERENT THICKNESSES Filed Sept. 16, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. 44554 7 I 65755? United States Patent Ofitice 3,362,123 CURTAlN WALL WITH PANELS OF DIFFERENT TEHCKNESSES Albert I. Geyser, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to E. K. Geyser Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Sept. 16, 1965, Ser. No. 487,754 Claims. (Cl. 52-502) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A curtain wall is made of a plurality of vertical bars and horizontal rails, all provided with channels. The ends of the rails are supported in the channels in the vertical bars. Panels have their marginal portions disposed in the surrounding channels, where they are held by gaskets. There are two thicknesses of gaskets, one thin and one thick. The thin gaskets are used with thick panels and a thin and a thick gasket are used with a thin panel.

Summary of lhe invention In accordance with this invention, vertical bars provided with laterally opening channels in both sides receive the ends of horizontal rails provided with channels at top and bottom. The opposite sides of each channel are provided with ribs projecting toward each other. The ribs of the vertical bars have gaps in them to receive the ends of the rails, which are supported by the ribs that form the bottoms of the gaps. The bottoms of the end portions of the rails are provided with notches to receive the upper ends of the underlying ribs to hold the rails against longitudinal movement. There is a panel in each of the rectangular openings framed by the vertical bars and rails. The panel is spaced from the adjacent ribs, but flexible gaskets are secured to the ribs and extend inwardly into tight engagement with the adjoining panel.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a curtain wall, in which horizontal rails may be quickly mounted in vertical bars to form a metal framework, in which the framework is composed of metal members having only a very few different forms, in which thick or thin panels can be used indiscriminately, in which the panels can be quickly sealed in place, and in which provision is made for draining away any water than may have leaked past the exterior seals or joints.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view of a curtain wall seen from the outside;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary detail, partly broken away in section, of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken on the line IIIIII of FIG. 1; and

FIGS. 4 and 5 are enlarged fragmentary horizontal sections taken on the lines IVIV and VV, respectively, of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings, part or all of a side wall of a building or dwelling may be formed from a curtain wall that is transparent, translucent, opaque, or a combination of them. Of course, the wall may contain a window sash that can be opened, and doors. For the purpose of this description, the illustrated wall is composed mainly of panels, some panels 1 being opaque insulating panels and some being transparent glass panes or panels 2 forming windows. The wall opening in which the curtain wall is mounted is framed in any suitable manner from wood or masonry 3. Disposed in the opening is a plurality of horizontally spaced vertical metal bars 4, preferably aluminum extrusions. As shown in FIG. 4, each bar is pro- 3,362,123 Patented Jan. 9, 1968 vided in its opposite sides with vertical channels 5 and 6, one shallow and one deep. The channel flanges are provided with inwardly projecting ribs 7 extending lengthwise of the bars. The ribs are located near the free edges of the channel flanges, with the marginal portions of the ribs offset toward the open side of the channel. Some or all of the bars may have integral vertical extensions 8 in front of or behind the channels for improved appearance and for strength and rigidity. They may be tubular as shown or any other desired shape.

The spaces between the vertical bars are divided into rectangular panel-receiving areas by means of vertically spaced horizontal rails 10, the ends of which are supported by the bars. Thus, the bar ribs 7 are not continuous. As shown in FIG. 2, there are gaps 11 in each rib at predetermined levels, and the rails are just narrow enough for their ends to be inserted in the channels and extend through the gaps, whereby the rails rest on the underlying sections of the ribs. The bottoms of the rails may be provided with notches 12 that receive the tops of the underlying rib sections to lock the rails against longitudinal movement out of the channels. If desired, one end of each rail can be slotted lengthwise a short distance near the top to permit a tongue to be bent up against the overlying rib for holding notches 12 down in place until a panel is installed.

As shown in FIG. 3, each of the horizontal rails 10 is substantially H-shape in cross-section to form a shallow upper channel 15 and a deeper lower channel 16. The horizontal edges of the channel flanges are provided with inwardly offset horizontal ribs 17 that project inwardly a short distance. Actually, each rail is made in two parts by making one flange 18 of its lower channel removable. This flange, which forms a glazing bead, has an inwardly oirset upper portion provided with a longitudinal groove that receives a projection 19 on an overlapping portion of the body of the rail to support the glazing bead. By swinging the bottom of the bead inwardly to unhook it from the rest of the rail, the bead can be lowered and then removed to open that side of channel 16.

A panel that is taller and wider than a rectangular space formed by the rails and bars can be inserted in that space after the glazing bead 18 has been removed, by first inserting one end of the panel in the deep channel 6 at one side of the space, with the bottom of the panel extending across the top of the near upper flange of the bottom chan nel 15, and the top of the panel extending at an angle through the open side of the top channel 16. The panel is moved sideways into the deep side channel until the opposite edge of the panel clears the near flange of the narrow channel in the other vertical bar, whereupon that end of the panel can be swung inwardly until the panel can be lowered into the shallow bottom channel, in which it can be supported on blocks 21 if desired. The panel then is moved sideways into the shallow bar channel until both ends of the panel are disposed between the ribs in their respective bar channels. The glazing bead 18 then can be connected into the upper rail to close that side of the upper channel. As the head is quite thin, it can first be bowed enough to insert its ends into the two bar channels, if necessary.

Gaskets are mounted between the channel ribs and the adjacent sides of the panel to seal the spaces between them. The gaskets are provided with longitudinal slots that receive the marginal portions of the ribs to hook them together. The gasket at one side of each panel may be in put in place before the panel, the other gasket being inserted after the panel is in place, or the panel can be inserted before both gaskets. If the panel is thick, as an insulated panel would 'be, both gaskets 23 and 24 can be relatively thin and substantially the same size in order to center the panel in the channels as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. However, if the panel is thin, like a pane of glass, one

5 the gaskets should be much thicker than the thin gasket 26 at the opposite side of the panel, so that the outer surfaces of all panels, whether thick or thin, will lie in a common vertical plane. The thick gasket 27 must fill the space between the opposite side of the thin panel and the adjacent ribs. Gasket 24 is more compressible than gasket 23.

Since the configuration of the thick gasket makes it considerably more unstable laterally than the thin gaskets, it is likely to be accidentally pushed too far into the two adjoining deep channels unless something is placed behind it. Therefore, according to this invention, the thick gasket is provided adjacent its glass-engaging edge with a laterally projecting flange 28 that extends into the deep horizontal and vertical channels to points close to their webs. This flange serves as a spacer to limit the distance the gasket can be pushed in toward those webs. As it is desirable to extrude the gaskets in long strips, and then cut the strips into the desired lengths, another feature is that each thick gasket strip is provided with a weakened area running along the base of its spacing flange 28 so that the unwanted portion of the flange attached to the part of the gasket that will be located in the shallow channels can easily be removed and discarded. One way of forming the weakened area is to provide the gasket with a longitudinally extending passage 29 so that the spacing flange is connected to the body of the gasket by very thin walls that permit the flange to be torn away when desired.

In order to seal any space between the horizontal rails and the adjoining flanges of the vertical bars, it is preferred that those flanges be provided with vertical grooves 31 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The grooves face inwardly toward the rails and are filled with sealing compound 32 after the rails have been installed.

A still further feature is that the bottom of each upper channel in the horizontal rails slopes toward its center, as shown in FIG. 3, at which point there is a longitudinal groove 34 for draining water leakage and condensation toward the opposite ends of the rail and into the vertical bar channels. To prevent the drainage from possibly seeping into or out onto the panels, a wick 35 is pressed into each end of each groove and extends out into the bar channel as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, so that water will drip straight down to the lower ends of the channels.

The curtain wall disclosed herein can be assembled from fewer shapes and elements than those known heretofore. The gasketing system is such that both thick and thin panels can quickly be installed. The wall is well sealed, but in case there is any leakage, it is taken care of. The horizontal rails can be installed with glazing beads 18 either inside or outside the building, thereby permitting the panels to be inserted from inside or outside. Finally, the construction of the wallis such that it can be assembled very rapidly.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle of my invention and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. A curtain wall comprising a plurality of horizontally spaced vertical metal bars each provided with laterally opening channels in both sides, a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal rails between said bars, each of said rails having vertically opening channels at top and bottom, a channel in each bar being deep enough to permit one end of the horizontal rails to be inserted therein first to allow the rails then to be swung horizontally into the vertical plane of the wall, said bars and rails forming the frames of rectangular openings surrounded by said channels, the opposite sides of each channel being provided with ribs extending lengthwise thereof and projecting toward each other, the ribs of the vertical bars being discontinuous to provide gaps receiving the ends of said rails with said ends supported by the ribs that form the bottoms of the gaps, the bottoms of the end portions of the rails being provided with notches receiving the upper ends of the underlying ribs to hold the rails against longitudinal movement, a panel in each of said openings projecting between the ribs in the surrounding channels and spaced from those ribs, and flexible gaskets extending along the ribs and secured to them, each gasket extending inwardly into tight engagement with the adjoining panel.

2. A curtain wall comprising a plurality of horizontally spaced vertical metal bars each provided with laterally opening channels in both sides, the channel at one side of each bar being deeper than the one at the opposite side, a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal rails between said bars and supported thereby, each of said rails having vertically opening channels at top and bottom, said bars and rails forming the frames of rectangular openings surrounded by said channels, the top channel in each rail being provided with a drain groove extending lengthwise thereof, a wick filling each end of each drain groove and extending therefrom out into the adjoining bar channels, the opposite sides at each channel being provided with ribs extending lengthwise thereof and projecting toward each other, the ribs of the vertical bars being discontinuous to provide gaps receiving the ends of the rails with said ends supported by the ribs that form the bottoms of the gaps, a panel in each of said openings projecting between the ribs in the surrounding channels and spaced from those ribs, and flexible gaskets extending along the ribs and secured to them and extending inwardly into tight engagement with the adjoining panel, one of said gaskets in an opening being thin and the other gasket being thick and having a laterally projecting spacing flange in the deep bar channel substantially engaging the web of that channel, and the portion of said thick gasket in the shallow bar channel being free of said flange.

3. A curtain wall comprising a plurality of horizontally spaced vertical metal bars each provided with laterally opening channels in both sides, the channel at one side of each bar being deeper than the one at the opposite side, a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal rails between said bars and supported thereby, the depth of said deeper channels being great enough to permit one end of the horizontal .rails to be inserted therein first and allow the rails then to be swung horizontally into the vertical plane of the wall, each of said rails having vertically opening channels at top and bottom, said bars and rails forming the frames of rectangular openings surrounded by said channels, the opposite sides of each channel being provided with ribs extending lengthwise thereof and projecting toward each other, the ribs of the vertical bars being discontinuous to provide gaps receiving the ends of the rails with said ends supported by the ribs that form the bottoms of the gaps, each gap in the vertical rib at one side of each bar channel being directly opposite a gap in the rib at the other side of the same channel, the bottom of the end ortions of the rails being provided with notches receiving the upper ends of the underlying ribs to hold the rails against longitudinal movement, a panel in each of said openings projecting between the ribs in the surrounding channels and spaced from those ribs, and flexible gaskets extending along the ribs and secured to them and extending inwardly into tight engagement with the adjoining panel, one of said gaskets in an opening being thin and the other gasket being thick and having a laterally projecting spacing flange in the deep bar channel substantially engaging the web of that channel, and the portion of said thick gasket in the shallow bar channel being free of said flange.

4. A curtain wall according to claim 3, in which the bottom channel in each rail is deeper than the top channel and has a removable side wall normally suspended by the portion of the rail above it and locked in place by the gasket that engages said removable side Wall, said spacing flange also extends up into said deep rail channel and substantially into engagement with the web of that channel, and the portion of the thick gasket along the bottom of the adjoining panel being free of said flange.

5. A curtain wall comprising a plurality of horizontally spaced vertical metal bars each provided with laterally opening channels in both sides, the channel at one side of each bar being deeper than the one at the opposite side, a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal rails between said bars and supported thereby, each of said rails having vertically opening channels at top and bottom, said bars and rails forming the frames of rectangular openings surrounded by said channels, the opposite sides of each channel being provided with ribs extending lengthwise thereof and projecting toward each other, a panel in each of said openings projecting between the ribs in the surrounding channels and spaced from those ribs, a flexible gasket for sealing the space between one side of said panel and the ribs facing it, said gasket having a laterally projecting spacing flange for substantially engaging the webs of the deep channels, and the gasket being provided with a weakened area at the base of said flange to permit it to be torn away from the rest of the gasket at the other two edges of the adjoining panel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,934,800 5/1960 Hasbroucke et al. 52502 X 2,979,788 4/1961 Richardson 5298 3,037,591 6/1962 Pulling 52-498 X 3,071,215 1/1963 Gall 52235 X 3,205,630 9/1965 Felix 52502 X 3,266,210 8/1966 Grossman 52-235 X 1,854,144 4/1932 Shrosbree et al 52-656 FOREIGN PATENTS 281,055 5/ 1952 Switzerland.

KENNETH DOWNEY, Primary Examiner. 

